How To Choose Your Perfect Workout Plan

Choosing your perfect workout plan can be pretty challenging. Follow our guide below which will help you to find your perfect exercise plan. We have included many workout tips, information on how to set your ideal goal, and training you should be doing specifically to reach your desired results.

How to find a workout routine

Start by firstly setting a goal – It is important for you to understand your goal, and what you are aiming to achieve. When choosing your goal you should stick to using SMART Goals. This stands for: Specific, Measureable, Achievable, Realistic and Time-based. It is also important to set Short, Medium, and Long-Term goals. Having milestones which you can tick off, will ensure that you will stay motivated throughout your fitness journey.

For example, if you have a goal to lose 2 stone this would take you a long time to achieve. It is also very vague and does not have a time-frame. It is also not specific, and may not even be realistic or achievable.

An example of a SMART Short Term Goal is – I would like to tone up my abdominal area and lower body. I would also like to lose 8lbs of fat within 3 months. A medium goal might be – I would like to drop 2 dress sizes within 6 months, and to feel more confident within myself. Your long term goal might be – to lose 2 stone over a 9-12month period, to have significantly reduced my body fat percentage, and to live a healthier and active lifestyle.

After you have set your goal it is important to know what types of training will help you to reach it, which we will explain below.

Great Workout Routines

A great workout routine starts by taking accountability. Once you have your goal, it is very important to write this down and to give yourself a timeframe, in which you would like to achieve this by. This will give you something to work towards, and will help you to stay motivated. You need to take responsibility and accountability. We all make time in the mornings to either do our make-up, or to shave our beards, so why isn’t fitness and our health a priority? Make time; an hour workout is just 4% of your day, you have no excuses. Start making you and your body your priority. Schedule in your calendar when and where you are going to workout and stick to it!

Ideal Exercise Routine

Now that you have your goal, and your schedule planned, it is important to think about what type of training is best for you. If you want to build muscle you do not want to be doing lots of cardio as this will not help you to reach your goal. It is important that your training is specific to your individual needs.

At MotivatePT we have a whole team of Personal Trainers (PTs), who all have different teaching methods, different skill sets. Some love yoga, some love bodybuilding, they’re all different. This is what makes us unique. No matter what your goals are or what types of training you love to do, we have got the perfect Personal Trainer for you.

You will firstly go through a matching process so we can match you to a PT, who we think will connect with you and will really help you to achieve what you are looking for. You will then have a consultation with the trainer for you both to see if this pairing will work. You will sit down for around 20-25mins to talk through the process I have written above. Your assigned personal trainer will then guide you through a 20-25min workout in relation to your goals. This is the perfect way for you to meet and connect with your trainer but it will also ease you into your workout programme.

What’s Your Perfect Exercise Plan

Workout WaterThis all depends on your individual goal. Below we have listed different goals and populations. We have then broken these down further by identifying the different types of training which will specifically help you to achieve your goal.

Define & Tone – If your goal is to gain definition or to tone certain areas of your body, we would suggest a mix of training methods. For example, boxing/HIIT training; these are great for working out your heart and any training programme should include a cardio element. Training at high intensities will help you to burn fat which may be preventing stubborn areas on your body to tone. We would also recommend mat based toning, as this is a great way to sculpt and tone your body. Lastly, I would also include a weight lifting element using small weights with high repetitions to really define your problem areas.
Weight Loss – Weight Loss is something a lot of people want to do, however, it is a slow process, but with the right training programme anything is possible. I would suggest starting with cardio, which will kick start your metabolism. Depending on your starting weight this could be a 30 minute walk each day or 15 minute run. You can also try boxing, once again this is an extremely fun way of working your heart and it gets you working up a sweat! I would also incorporate weight training, as this will add resistance, meaning your body will have to work harder, therefore results will begin to show quicker.
Elderly – For older people, fitness is very important to keep you young and healthy. We would recommend Low Intensity Steady State (LISS) Training. This could include a gentle walk, swimming, cycling etc. Within your program we would recommend also using weights. Not only does this increase your strength but it also increases bone density which is very important as bones can get brittle as we get older.
Pre/Post Natal – This is possibly the biggest change to your body that you will ever experience. It’s very important to listen to your body throughout, and to know and understand what is good for you and baby. We have many qualified PTs who are specifically trained in pre & post natal, they are able to guide you through exercises that will help your pregnancy or to help you regain your pre-baby bod! We would recommend that whilst exercising you wear loose comfortable clothing, stay hydrated and if you start to overheat or feel any discomfort you should stop immediately. Also, after the first trimester, it is crucial that you do not do any exercises in the supine position (lying on your back), as this can restrict the blood flow to the heart, affecting both you and your baby. If you would like guidance and support visit our website to find out more information.
Best Bodybuilding Routine – Building Strength
If you are looking to build strength and to bulk up, it is important to use the overload principle. If you were to use the same weight or same repetitions, your body will adapt to this and you will plateau, meaning you won’t achieve the desired change. Therefore to make the muscles get bigger and stronger, we have to increase the overload so they can adapt. However, it is very important that you do not injure yourself by going too heavy, this should be a gradual process. You should also take into account your rest days, so therefore your muscles can recover. Another important factor is your sleep and the amount of protein you are eating, as these will help you to recover from a training session quicker.

In order to increase the overload, there are many different ways you can do this. A Personal Trainer would be able to guide you through this and will create a training programme which will push you to your limits each time, so you will see maximal results. I will name a few ways for you to do this. Firstly you can increase the weight, but you need to make sure that you are doing the exercise with the correct form and technique. It also might be a good idea to get a spotter (someone who will intervene/assist you when lifting heavy weights). You can also increase the repetitions which will make your muscles work harder. A PT can also assist you with forced repetitions to further your growth. You can also alternate between different sets such as, tri-set, giant-set, pyramids, pre/post exhaust etc. If you would like to know more about these, please contact us through our website.

Which Diet Plan is Best?

Now you have recommendations on what types of training you should be doing in order to reach your goal, it is very important to support your workouts with the correct types of food. Your body needs the correct fuel to provide it with sufficient energy. If you are eating a lot of sugar, simple carbohydrates, and processed foods, you will not see the results you are looking for. Each meal should be balanced, and contain proteins, complex carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and antioxidants, to ensure your body is able to function in the correct way.